1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to active backplanes for use with a spaced opposed front electrode, and to devices comprising such backplanes.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The device which is particularly described in this specification in connection with a preferred embodiment is a spatial light modulator in the form of a smectic liquid crystal layer disposed between an active semiconductor backplane and a common front electrode. It was developed in response to a requirement for a fast and, if possible, inexpensive, spatial light modulator comprising a relatively large number of pixels with potential application not only as a display device, but also for other forms of optical processing such as correlation and holographic switching. Our copending International Patent Applications (PCT/GB99/04285, U.S. Ser. No. 09/868,219, priority GB9827952.4; PCT/GB99/04276, U.S. Ser. Nos. 09/868,239 and 09/868,220, priority GB9827965.6; PCT/GB99/04279, U.S. Ser. No. 10/085,140, priority GB9827901.1; PCT/GB 99/04274, U.S. Ser. No. 09/868,218, priority GB9827964.9; PCT/GB99.04275, U.S. Ser. No. 09/868,217, priority GB9827945.8; and PCT/GB99/04760 and PCT/GB99/04277, U.S. Ser. Nos. 09/868,241 and 09/868,242, both priority GB9827944.1) relate to other inventive aspects associated with the spatial light modulator.
During the course of development of the present invention, a series of problems were encountered and dealt with, and the solutions to these problems (whether in the form of construction, function or method) are not necessarily restricted in application to the embodiment, but will find other uses. Thus not all of the aspects of the invention are limited to liquid crystal devices, nor to spatial light modulators.
Nevertheless, it is useful to commence with a discussion of the problems encountered in developing the embodiment to be described later.
The liquid crystal phase has been recognised since the last century, and there were a few early attempts to utilise liquid crystal materials in light modulators, none of which gave rise to any significant successful commercial use. However, towards the end of the 1960's and in the 1970's, there was a renewed interest in the use of liquid crystal materials in light modulating, with increasing success as more materials, and purer materials became available, and as technology in general progressed.
Generally speaking, this latter period commenced with the use of nematic and cholesteric liquid crystal materials. Cholesteric liquid crystal materials found use as sensors, principally for measuring temperature or indicating a temperature change, but also for responding to, for example, the presence of impurities. In such cases, the pitch of the cholesteric helix is sensitive to the parameter to be sensed and correspondingly alters the wavelength at which there is selective reflection of one hand of circularly polarised light by the helix.
Attempts were also made to use cholesteric materials in electro-optic modulators, but during this period the main thrust of research in this area involved nematic materials. Initial devices used such effects as the nematic dynamic scattering effect, and increasingly sophisticated devices employing such properties as surface induced alignment, the effect on polarised light, and the co-orientation of elongate dye molecules or other elongate molecules/particles, came into being.
Some such devices used cells in which the nematic phase adopted a twisted structure, either by suitably arranging surface alignments or by incorporating optically active materials in the liquid crystal phase. There is a sense in which such materials resemble cholesteric materials, which are often regarded as a special form of the nematic phase.
Initially, liquid crystal light modulators were in the form of a single cell comprising a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched between opposed electrode bearing plates, at least one of the plates being transparent. The thickness of the liquid crystal layer in nematic cells is commonly around 20 to 100 microns.
At a later stage, electro-optic nematic devices comprising a plurality of pixels were being devised. Initially, these had the form of a common electrode on one side of a cell and a plurality of individually addressable passive electrodes on the other side of the cell (e.g. as in a seven-segment display), or, for higher numbers of pixels, intersecting passive electrode arrays on either side of the cell, for example row and column electrodes which were scanned. While the latter arrangements provided considerable versatility, there were problems associated with cross-talk between pixels.
The situation was exacerbated when analogue (grey scale) displays were required by analogue modulation of the applied voltage, since the optical response is non-linearly related to applied voltage. Addressing schemes became relatively complicated, particularly if dc balance was also required. Such considerations, in association with the relative slowness of switching of nematic cells, have made is difficult to provide real-time video images having a reasonable resolution.
Subsequently, active back-plane devices were produced. These comprise a back plane comprising a plurality of active elements, such as transistors, for energising corresponding pixels. Two common forms are thin film transistor on silica/glass backplanes, and semiconductor backplanes. The active elements can be arranged to exercise some form of memory function, in which case addressing of the active element can be accelerated compared to the time needed to address and switch the pixel, easing the problem of displaying at video frame rates.
Active backplanes are commonly provided in an arrangement very similar to a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a static random access memory (SRAM). At each one of a distributed array of addressable locations, a SRAM type active backplane comprises a memory cell including at least two coupled transistors arranged to have two stable states, so that the cell (and therefore the associated liquid crystal pixel) remains in the last switched state until a later addressing step alters its state. Each location electrically drives its associated liquid crystal pixel, and is bistable per se, i.e. without the pixel capacitance. Power to drive the pixel to maintain the existing switched state is obtained from busbars which also supply the array of SRAM locations. Addressing is normally performed from peripheral logic via orthogonal sets (for example column and row) addressing lines.
In a DRAM type active backplane, a single active element (transistor) is provided at each location, and forms, together with the capacitance of the associated liquid crystal pixel, a charge storage cell. Thus in this case, and unlike a SRAM backplane, the liquid crystal pixels are an integral part of the DRAM of the backplane. There is no bistability associated with the location unless the liquid crystal pixel itself is bistable, and this is not the case so far as nematic pixels are concerned. Instead, reliance is placed on the active element providing a high impedance when it is not being addressed to prevent leakage of charge from the capacitance, and on periodic refreshing of the DRAM location.
Thin film transistor (TFT) backplanes comprise an array of thin film transistors distributed on a substrate (commonly transparent) over what can be a considerable area, with peripheral logic circuits for addressing the transistors, thereby facilitating the provision of large area pixellated devices which can be directly viewed. Nevertheless, there are problems associated with the yields of the backplanes during manufacture, and the length of the addressing conductors has a slowing effect on the scanning. When provided on a transparent substrate, such as of glass, TFT arrays can actually be located on the front or rear surface of a liquid crystal display device.
In view of their overall size, the area of the TFT array occupied by the transistors, associated conductors and other electrical elements, e.g. capacitors is relatively insignificant. There is therefore no significant disadvantage in employing the SRAM configuration as opposed to the DRAM configuration. This sort of backplane thus overcomes many of the problems associated with slow switching times of liquid crystal pixels.
Generally, the active elements in TFT backplanes are diffusion transistors and the like as opposed to FETS, so that the associated impedances are relatively low and associated charge leakage relatively high in the “OFF” state.
Semiconductor active backplanes are limited in size to the size of semiconductor substrate available, and are not suited for direct viewing with no intervening optics. Nevertheless their very smallness aids speed of addressing of the active elements. This type of backplane commonly comprises FETs, for example MOSFETs or CMOS circuitry, with associated relatively high impedances and relatively low associated charge leakage in the “OFF” state.
However, the smallness also means that the area of the overall light modulation (array) area occupied by the transistors, associated conductors and other electrical elements, e.g. capacitors can be relatively significant, particularly in the SRAM type which requires many more elements than the DRAM type. Being opaque to visible light, a semiconductor backplane would provide the rear substrate of a light modulator or display device.
At a later period still, substantial development occurred in the use of smectic liquid crystals. These have potential advantages over nematic phases insofar as their switching speed is markedly greater, and with appropriate surface stabilisation the ferroelectric smectic C phases should provide devices having two stable alignment states, i.e. a memory function.
The thickness of the layer of liquid crystal material in such devices is commonly much smaller than in the corresponding nematic devices, normally being of the order of a few microns at most. In addition to altering the potential switching speed, this increases the unit capacitance of a pixel, easing the function of a DRAM active backplane in retaining a switched state at a pixel until the next address occurs.
However, as the thickness of the liquid crystal approaches the dimensions associated with the underlying structure of the backplane and/or the magnitude of any possible deformation of the liquid crystal cell structure by flexing or other movement of the substrates, problems arise, for example as to the uniformity of response across the pixel area, and the capability for short circuiting across the cell thickness. The alignment in chiral smectic liquid crystal cells is also frequently very sensitive to mechanical factors, and can be destroyed by mechanical impulses or shock.
Substrate Spacing
It is commonly necessary to ensure a correct and stable spacing between the two substrates of a cell incorporating an electrical backplane, for example an active backplane, and this is particularly so in the case of smectic liquid crystal cells in view of the thinness of the liquid crystal layer.
Earlier known methods of controlling substrate spacing, such as the provision of randomly distributed spacers, for example in the form of beads, across the area of the cell, or beads distributed in the peripheral seal, are not always appropriate for the device in question, particularly when the substrate spacing is small and one or both substrates carry electrical conducting elements.
Besides the mechanical effect of the spacers, which could cause damage to the backplane when assembling the device, it is not uncommon for added spacers to include conductive impurities which could short circuit one or more pixels. Furthermore, random distribution of the spacers would lead to their presence on individual pixels, the addition of defects and voids, and degradation of the liquid crystal alignment